Overview
| Stage | Production |
| Mine Type | Open Pit & Underground |
| Commodities |
|
| Mining Method |
- Truck & Shovel / Loader
- Block caving
|
| Production Start | ...  |
| Mine Life | 2059 |
The Traspaso Andina project aims to relocate the current primary crushing process to allow for the continuous mining of the open pit mine. The primary crushing line has been in operation since 2022 and progress is being made on the secondary crushing line. |
Source:
p. 20
Codelco, as a productive business, grouped all the deposits (The El Teniente, Andina, Exotica, Chuquicamata and El Salvador) into a single mining, industrial and commercial corporation.
Codelco Corp. operates seven mine sites (known as “divisiones”): Chuquicamata, Ministro Hales, Radomiro Tomic, Gabriela Mistral, Salvador, Andina, El Teniente, in addition to the Ventanas Smelter and Refinery.
Contractors
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Deposit Type
- Breccia pipe / Stockwork
- Porphyry
Summary:
The Andina mining operation consists of Río Blanco underground mine and the Sur Sur open pit mine.
Los Bronces-Rio Blanco is one of three giant Miocene to Pliocene Cu-Mo breccia/porphyry copper deposits in central Chile.
Paragenetic studies indicate main stages of veins, breccia and porphyry emplacement in the Rio Blanco and Sur-Sur sectors of the ore deposit. The stages are: (1) magnetite-actinolite alteration; (2) potassic stockwork veins; (3) Rio Blanco Magmatic Breccia and Sur-Sur Tourmaline Breccia; (4) Feldspar Porphyry; (5) Quartz Monzonite Porphyry and Don Luis Porphyry; (6) molybdenite stockwork veins; (7) chalcopyrite stockwork veins; and (8) D veins. Barren dacite and rhyolite intrusions cross-cut the ore deposit complex.
A change from potassic to phyllic alteration defines the contact between the Rio Blanco Magmatic Breccia and Sur-Sur Tounnaline Breccia. The Rio Blanco Magmatic Breccia occupies a large volume of rock within the Rio Blanco, La Union, Don Luis and Sur-Sur sectors, and extends over a vertical interval of ~2 km. The Tourmaline Breccia lies transitionally outward from the Magmatic Breccia mainly in the Sur-Sur sector. There is a 100m thick gradational contact between deep level biotite breccia and shallow-level tourmaline breccia at Sur-Sur. Paragenetic studies of breccia cement minerals in the Rio Blanco Magmatic Breccia and Sur-Sur Tounnaline Breccia reveal a similar cement infill sequence involving initial biotite a ........
Mining Methods
- Truck & Shovel / Loader
- Block caving
Summary:
The Andina operation employs both underground caving and open pit methods to produce copper concentrate. The Rio Blanco orebody is mined by underground methods from the Third Panel mine, while Don Luis and Sur Sur are open pit mines.
In 2021 Company also started the Traspaso Andina commissioning stage. It will extend the useful life of Andina by 30 years, through innovative and sustainable mining.
(Translated from Spanish)
The Traspaso Andina project aims to relocate the current primary crushing process to allow for the continuous mining of the open pit mine. To achieve this, the project includes a new crushing plant and necessary infrastructure in the sector known as Node 3,500. Additionally, it includes a connection to the current concentrator plant through a 4.8 km ore transport tunnel via a conveyor belt.
As of 2022, Traspaso Andina project has completed the commissioning stage of the Primary Crushing process and is in the final phase of pre-commissioning of the Secondary Crushing process.
Source:
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Flow Sheet:
Summary:
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Reserves at December 31, 2022:
| Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
|
Proven
|
780 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.83 %
|
6.4 Mt
|
|
Probable
|
390 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.69 %
|
2.7 Mt
|
|
Proven & Probable
|
1,170 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.78 %
|
9.1 Mt
|
|
Measured
|
1,376 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.72 %
|
9.9 Mt
|
|
Indicated
|
1,065 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.7 %
|
7.4 Mt
|
|
Inferred
|
2,537 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.77 %
|
19.4 Mt
|
|
Total Resource
|
4,978 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.74 %
|
36.8 Mt
|
| Type | Material | Diameter | Length | Description |
Heavy Mobile Equipment as of September 12, 2019:
| HME Type | Model |
|
Drill
|
.......................
|
|
Drill
|
.......................
|
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Corporate Filings & Presentations:
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